PRACTICE 14
DO YOU FIND YOURSELF UNABLE TO CONSISTENTLY GET OR REPLICATE YOUR DESIRED RESULTS?
If so, you may want to consider
PRACTICE 14: ALIGN INPUTS WITH OUTPUTS.
When you don’t align inputs with outputs, your room may feel like Sartre’s hell because:
• Regardless of how hard you work, your results stay the same—or get worse.
• You begin to doubt and second-guess yourself.
• You see others pass you by.
It’s hard not to appreciate stretch jeans—they carry an implicit promise that one can believe the number on the waistband despite how much “stretching” may be required to make it so. It was with this viewpoint in mind that I found myself numbered among the holiday shoppers at a national clothing retailer. My daughter, Alex, happened to be working as a seasonal cashier there, so it gave me the opportunity to drop in and say hello. Her job not only included ringing up and bagging the various items, but handing out brochures and inviting customers to apply for the in-store credit card. I walked over and asked how things were going.
“Okay, I guess,” she responded glumly. As a father who had raised several teenagers, I knew there was no such thing as okay—there was joyful and there was miserable, with very little in between.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking advantage of a momentary lull in the checkout line.
“Nothing, really,” she replied.
“Really?” I asked. She knew me well enough to know I had clued in to her apparent frustration.
“Fine. It’s just that I get a bonus based on how many people sign up for the in-store credit card, but I don’t have many takers.” I watched as she rang up the next customer’s total and handed them the credit-card brochure. “You can save 10 percent on your purchase today if you apply for our credit card,” she announced.
“No thanks,” the man responded. After he had paid and left with his items, Alex turned back to me.
“See what I mean?”
“Maybe people are just in a hurry this time of year,” I suggested, trying to be helpful. My daughter shook her head and motioned to the next cashier.
“Maybe, except Tiffany’s getting a ton of people to sign up. We compared totals on our break and she’s killing me. I just don’t get why none of my customers want to sign up.”
• • •
If you happened to be perusing a systems-theory textbook on the topic of inputs and outputs (and who wouldn’t?), you’d read that an input is what you put into a system to fuel a process, and an output is the result you obtain. Input, process, output—it’s the kind of three-variable system a nonengineering person like myself can get my head around. It’s also a useful framework for diagnosing why we get the results we get. To help illustrate what’s going on here, let me share a story about urine. (I bet you didn’t see that one coming.)
One summer we found burn marks all over the grass at my house. It turned out to be Max’s fault (Max is a dog). We bought special green pellets that were supposed to neutralize the acid in Max’s system and prevent the burns that destroyed our contribution to the scenic great outdoors. We started Max on the pills and replanted the grass. Imagine our frustration when we found yellow-brown spots on the lawn a few days later. We could have ripped up and replaced the grass every few days, but that seemed a little ridiculous. I could have also replaced my entire lawn with artificial turf, but that came with its own set of problems. Without a plan for moving forward, I simply stood at the window, fixated on the patches of discoloration until it felt like my entire lawn was the color of burned sod. All I wanted was my lawn back in its original, beautiful green condition. I grew more and more annoyed at the whole situation, and even caught myself wondering if maybe it was time for a cat.
During all this plotting over my lawn, I was fixated on the outputs. We can refer to outputs as lag measures, or the metrics by which we decide if something is successful. We have all experienced lag measures in our lives: the number on the bathroom scale, the revenue at the end of the quarter, or the report card after the semester. Lag measures show up at the end of a process—by the time they’re visible, our ability to influence them has passed. We can get frustrated by them, depressed over them, and even angry at them, but lag measures couldn’t care less. I’m certain my lawn was indifferent to the amount of time and energy I spent glaring at it. Spending time and energy to change lag measures is like refusing to leave the stadium after the game is over. Instead, you stare at the scoreboard, steadfast in your resolve that you’re not moving until it magically changes and your team is declared the winner.
While it’s human nature to get frustrated and focus on the lag measures when things aren’t going right, it’s best to turn our energy elsewhere. In my own case, instead of dwelling on the outputs around my burned grass, I needed to focus even more on the inputs, or what we call lead measures. Lead measures are the actions we take that add up to a lag measure; for instance, the number of doughnuts you eliminate from your daily diet, the quality and quantity of time you spend in face-to-face meetings with your clients, or the evenings you dedicate to homework instead of binge-watching television.
While many inputs might contribute to the desired output, identifying the right inputs can make all the difference. Following are a few examples from FranklinCovey clients who identified the right lead measure from all other inputs they were using to achieve the desired output:
• A health spa found the rate of repeat customers skyrocketed when patrons added thirty minutes to the length of their therapeutic massage session. Right input: The company gives a discount on a ninety-minute session.
• A shoe store discovered that the single biggest factor driving customer loyalty was whether the salesperson measured the customer’s feet. Right input: Clerks are trained to offer to measure patrons’ feet.
• A national hotel chain realized that when customers checked in under a certain amount of time, they were more likely to be satisfied overall. Right input: Front-desk personnel created a faster check-in process.
So far, I’ve shared fairly simple examples of connecting inputs and outputs. But the same principle works when tackling large, more complex and systemic problems. Consider New York City in the 1990s. Like many other cities at the time, New York had fallen victim to rampant crime. Midtown’s Bryant Park had become an open-air drug market, Grand Central Terminal a flophouse, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal “a grim gauntlet for bus passengers dodging beggars, drunks, thieves, and destitute drug addicts.”14 Some of the most iconic images of that era are those of the New York subway—dirty, covered in graffiti, and a magnet for crime.
With over 250 felonies committed every week, the New York subway had become the most dangerous mass-transit system in the world. A few insightful people suspected that the city’s problems could be traced back to a few lead indicators, such as graffiti. It was argued that such a minor yet visible crime signaled that the government couldn’t address the more serious crimes, thereby encouraging more criminal activity. As the mayor at the time remarked, “Obviously, murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes. But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other.”15 An effort was undertaken to aggressively go after lower-level crimes, dubbed the “broken windows” approach to law enforcement. Refocusing their efforts on this input changed everything. New York’s violent crimes declined by a whopping 56 percent and property crimes by 65 percent.
Critics argued that the dramatic results had little or nothing to do with broken windows, and the theory remains controversial to this day. But to test aspects of the broken-windows premise, universities began conducting experiments. In one such test in the Netherlands, when an envelope containing five euros was visibly placed in a mailbox, 13 percent of the people who walked past ended up stealing the money. When the same mailbox was covered in graffiti, the number of passersby who took the money doubled to 27 percent!16 The results seemed to validate the focus on graffiti, and low-level crimes were the input that mattered.
People aren’t mailboxes or subway cars—we can’t just take a bucket of soapy water and scrub away the things that aren’t working. But the practice of aligning relationship inputs and outputs has significant merit. This entire book is a series of inputs (fifteen, to be specific) that are designed to help you escape Sartre’s hell by building or repairing the relationships you have with those who share your room.
A colleague of mine, Deb, recognized she needed to change a behavioral input with her young son, Dylan. The youngster, who was caught up in the rush of getting out the door and into her car each morning for the ride to school, had a habit of forgetting his shoes. Each morning as Deb was busy getting herself ready for work, she would holler to Dylan, asking if he had everything he needed for the day. On his way to the car, he would dutifully reply that he did. After making the drive to the school, she’d pull up to the curb to drop him off. It was then her son would announce that he’d forgotten his shoes. Frustrated and running late for work, it was natural for Deb to chastise him for not remembering his shoes, even after she’d asked about them. She’d then have to drive back to the house, grab the missing footwear, and deliver her now-tardy child back to the school. This routine happened with enough regularity that my colleague knew she needed to figure out a way to solve the problem for good. Her desired output was to rear a child who was responsible, self-motivated, and in time, fully capable of taking care of himself. With the benefit of hindsight, let me share my colleague’s solution to her problem as a five-step process we can all employ:
1. Describe the output you want.
2. Assess the current reality.
3. Examine the inputs.
4. Pick the “lead measure” inputs you think will most likely achieve the desired output.
5. Analyze the result.
The output Deb wanted was straightforward: She needed Dylan to have his shoes on before she drove him to school. The current reality was that he remembered to do it sporadically. The inputs she employed included prompting Dylan to remember his shoes (it didn’t work), chastising him for not remembering (to no avail), and racing back home and delivering him late (tardiness means nothing to a seven-year-old). Deb decided to step back and reevaluate her inputs. She wondered if Dylan were to experience the natural consequences of forgetting, it might motivate a change. She decided that instead of returning home to fetch the forgotten shoes, she’d allow him to spend the day in his socks. When the fateful moment arrived and Dylan announced that he’d forgotten his shoes again, his mom didn’t turn the car around. “That’s okay,” she announced. “I guess you’ll just need to go to school without them today.”
“What? I can’t do that!” the boy exclaimed. This outcome was not what Dylan had expected at all. But his mom patiently explained that he could stay inside during recess and that she’d be back to pick him up after school. Unhappy about only wearing socks, the second grader climbed out of the car and made his way to the classroom. Deb finished her commute to work, arriving on time.
The next morning, Dylan remembered to put his shoes on. It was a good start, but my colleague wondered how long it would last. The following day, Dylan remembered his shoes, as well as the morning after that. In fact, the boy never forgot to wear his shoes again! By changing a single input, not only had Deb helped move her son toward the kind of independence she wanted him to achieve, but she saved herself from a ton of anxiety in the process. She discovered how to align the right input with the desired output. Whether helping a child remember to wear his shoes or reducing crime in a large metropolitan city, choosing the right inputs can drive the results we want.
While there are countless inputs that contribute to our relationships, in my experience the fifteen practices in this book are those that have proven to be foundational and of the highest leverage. Implementing even one can be pivotal in repairing a ruptured relationship, restoring trust, and strengthening an already solid relationship. Identifying which of these practices you can use as high-leverage inputs holds the potential to improve even the most stubborn relationship pitfalls.
Let’s look back at how each practice can function as an input connected to an important and valued relationship output. While the following table covers inputs and outputs from every practice, reading just a few (or reviewing those that most readily apply to you) will highlight the important difference the right input can make.
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Todd sees Sydney as someone who needs to be protected and saved. |
Sydney gets rescued over and over and never learns to fail and find her own success. |
Todd sees Sydney as capable and competent and someone who doesn’t need to be fixed. |
Sydney becomes a self-sufficient, confident adult. |
Carry Your Own Weather
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Teacher comes to school every day complaining about what’s wrong in the world. |
Students learn to blame others or circumstances. |
Teacher models that we all have a choice in how to act in any circumstance. |
Students learn to take responsibility for their own choices. |
Behave Your Way to Credibility
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Malee is a very bright woman but is shy and quiet and therefore won’t participate or share her opinions in any meetings. |
Malee remains stagnant in her role and unhappy that she isn’t considered for advancement. |
Malee seeks out a mentor in Lisa to help coach her on how to share her thoughts and ideas. |
Malee gains confidence and is recognized for her ideas and contributions. One of her ideas saves the company a lot of money and redundancy. |
Play Your Roles Well
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Rachel gets mediocre results in both her personal and professional relationships. |
Rachel identifies the most important roles in her life and reorganizes her priorities to spend quality time in those roles. |
Rachel has an extraordinary relationship with her daughters while successfully and financially providing for them. |
See the Tree, Not Just the Seedling
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Rhonda sees only the behaviors that aren’t working in her colleague Ava. |
Rhonda unintentionally turns co-workers against Ava and limits Ava’s potential as well as the relationship with her. |
Rhonda starts to identify what Ava does well and starts to see unlimited potential in her. |
Ava becomes more confident and starts to succeed in other parts of her job. Rhonda and co-workers begin to believe in her. |
Avoid the Pinball Syndrome
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Melissa prioritizes urgent tasks over more important relationships. |
Garret and other team members feel undervalued and begin to disengage. |
Melissa focuses less on urgencies and more on her important key relationships. |
Team members feel more engaged and therefore produce higher-quality work that has more meaningful, long-term outcomes. |
Think We, Not Me
Take Stock of Your Emotional Bank Accounts
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Francis creates a withdrawal by blowing up at a colleague. He later apologizes but continues making excuses for his behavior. |
Colleague and those around him lose respect for Francis. |
Francis focuses on controlling his emotions and making deposits, not withdrawals, in the EBA of others. When he makes a mistake, he apologizes without making excuses. |
Francis slowly rebuilds trust with those he’s hurt or offended. |
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Sam decides his intentions or motives are to be a leader who invests in building and mentoring his team, but then allows other priorities to pull him off that focus. |
Team members feel devalued and not recognized or important. |
Sam examines his real motives that got in the way of what his healthy intentions were and recommits to put the development of his team first. |
Team recognizes Sam’s new motives and believes them because of his actions and behaviors. |
Talk Less, Listen More
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Gary is a talented salesperson, but in his enthusiasm about his product, he does all the talking. |
Gary’s potential client chooses another vendor who has taken time to understand their problem. |
Gary carefully listens first, prior to making any recommendations. Once he listens, he better understands what the client needs. |
Client recognizes Gary as a partner vs. a salesperson and values his insightful recommendations. |
Get Your Volume Right
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Thomas relies only on his perfectionist “go-to” strength and misses the product-launch deadline. |
Partners and customers are frustrated when the company’s commitments are not met. |
Thomas “dials down” his go-to strength when necessary and employs other strengths of collaboration and keeping commitments. |
Products launch on time and partners and customers are satisfied. Thomas is perceived as a stronger player and contributor in the organization. |
Extend Trust
Make It Safe to Tell the Truth
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Sam decides his intentions or motives are to be a leader who invests in building and mentoring his team, but then allows other priorities to pull him off that focus. |
Team members feel devalued and not recognized or important. |
Sam examines his real motives that got in the way of what his healthy intentions were and recommits to put the development of his team first. |
The team recognizes Sam’s new motives and believes them because of his actions and behaviors. |
Align Inputs With Outputs
OLD INPUT |
OLD OUTPUT |
NEW INPUT |
NEW INPUT |
Dylan’s mom asks if he has his shoes ready for school before leaving. |
As they pull up to drop Dylan off, he announces that he’s forgotten to put his shoes on. |
Dylan’s mom decides to allow her son to experience the natural consequences by going to school wearing only his socks for a day. |
Dylan takes responsibility for getting his shoes on every morning. |
Start With Humility (a foreshadowing of the next and final practice)
Whenever we experience results we’re not happy with, there’s a strong chance we’ve misaligned the inputs and outputs. I suspected that was the case with my daughter and her struggle to get customers to sign up for the store’s credit-card offer.
• • •
“Maybe people are just in a hurry this time of year,” I suggested, trying to be helpful. My daughter shook her head and motioned to the next cashier.
“Maybe, but Tiffany’s getting a ton of people to sign up. We compared totals on our break and she’s killing me. I just don’t get why none of my customers want to sign up.”
Alex’s predicament had me curious about why the two cashiers were getting such different results. Both kids were average teens getting their first taste of retail work.
“Is she presenting the same card with the same offer?” I asked. Alex nodded yes, looking perplexed.
I walked over to where Tiffany was working. Just as Alex had said, Tiffany was handing the customers the same brochure with the same invitation to save money by applying for the in-store credit card. Then I noticed one small (but as it turned out, significant) input that was different; instead of inviting the customer to save “10 percent,” Tiffany was doing the math in her head.
“Would you like to save thirty-one dollars on your purchase today?” she asked. The customer paused, the exact dollar amount seeming to get their attention.
“Yeah, why not?” the customer replied.
I wondered, could that be making the difference? Simply giving the exact total of money saved versus saying “10 percent”?
Walking back to Alex, I said, “I’ve got an idea for you to try.” I explained that rather than using the generic 10 percent language, Tiffany was calculating the savings and sharing the total dollar amount with her customers.
“Oh . . . that makes sense. I guess I’d like to hear what I’d be saving too,” Alex replied.
I finished my own shopping and returned to Alex minutes later. Her mood had noticeably improved. As she rang up the total, she leaned forward, “It’s working, Dad. I’ve already had two customers sign up since you left.”
A small yet important input. And because I’m probably too accommodating, I ended up applying for the credit card as well.